Even in the current laptop-tablet hybrid era, the PadFone remains unique as a smartphone with a tablet accessory. Now Asus presents a bigger (and better?) sequel at a Milan launch event.
The PadFone 2 is certainly bigger-- the smartphone display gets an upgrade, being a 4.7-inch 720p Super IPS+ panel with IGZO technology. Powering the device is a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 chip (with 2GB RAM), a boost from the dual-core chip in the previous model.
The OS of choice is Android 4.0.4, but Asus promises a Jelly Bean (Android 4.1) upgrade will be available "shortly."
A Sony sensor powers the backside-illuminated sensor behind the 13MP rear-facing camera.
The included 10.1-inch tablet accessory also gets a redesign, being thinner and lighter (514g without phone) than the previous model. A new custom 13-pin dock (with micro USB 2.0 and MHL support) connects smartphone to the tablet.
Further connectivity options include LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONASS.
The PadFone 2 launches in Europe sometime in Q4 2012 with either 32 or 64GB of storage.
